Darius Morgan and the Constellations
by Boltstriker
Summary: Darius Morgan is a son of Zeus at Camp Half-Blood, and he has a pretty normal life - or at least, as normal as a demigod can have. But when a new Camp Director comes and the stars begin to fall, his life spirals out of control. Contact me if you want lemons - I might make an exception for this fanfiction.
1. Introduction to Me

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

For all of you who liked Ancient Gods, it will be back up soon. I will not be writing in it very much though, because I've grown to love my other fanfictions. Enjoy this new series based on Percy Jackson.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Me, Darius Morgan

Hello there, I'm Darius Morgan. You remember that Percy Jackson kid from those books? Yeah, I live with him. Well, sort of, but not really. You see, Percy's a son of Poseidon, and I'm a son of Zeus. Turns out that the Big Three had way more than just two children between the three of them during the Pact era.

So, introduction to me – I've been at Camp Half-Blood for three years, I fought in the Titan and Giant wars, and I'm from Miami, Florida. I usually wear my green Hurricanes hoodie every day, much to the dislike of Chiron, who claims that "New York weather is the only weather for me." I'm a Florida boy, I don't do well with cold. Otherwise, I wear the regular orange camp shirt, jeans, and my necklace of three beads. The first one is black with the Empire State Building, symbolizing the Titan War. The second one is green and brown depicting a dead Gaea. The third and final one is purple and black, showing the time when Hades appeared at camp and made it pitch-black for five days – that one's kind of my fault.

My weapon of choice is a sword called Parthenos. It's three and a half feet long, made of celestial bronze, and was actually given to me by Athena, but that's a story for another time.

Well, I bet you're wondering when I'll actually get to the story. I mean, this _is_ about Darius Morgan – that's me – and the constellations, so let's talk about the constellations . . . eventually.

"Ugh! Annabeth, why do I always have to be the clean police?"

I'm the head counselor of Cabin One, seeing as I'm the oldest of Zeus's children at the camp. Jason, my half-brother on my dad's side, is on the other side of the country at Camp Jupiter, leaving fifteen-year-old Darius in charge. Of course, Annabeth gives me what I call "clean police" on the first day of summer.

"Because no one else is willing to do it," she snapped.

"What about Clarisse? It's always fun to see her get angry when people get one out of five. Or Butch? He puts rainbows over the cabins who did a bad job," I protested.

"One more word and I'll assign you to Mr. D's assistant," Annabeth glared.

I trudged off into the Ω shape of cabins, disregarding the others in construction, and I walked around, starting with my own.

I looked inside Cabin One to see my eight younger half-siblings desperately trying to clean up. My bunk, which was actually the canopy that Thalia and Jason had told me about, was the messiest; I had stuff strewn all over, with plugs and headphones dangling over the edge. My laptop was hovering dangerously on the edge of the canopy, and I quickly snatched it up and put it back on my sleeping bag.

"Two out of five, guys. Better luck tomorrow."

I walked past Cabin Two, which was Hera's cabin, and headed to Cabin Four. Cabin Four was the Demeter Cabin, which was gleaming with sunflowers and green drapes and all that flowery fluff. Even the greenhouse looked relatively spotless. I gave it a four out of five, mostly because there were a lot of seeds on the floor, and I headed next door. The Athena Cabin, Cabin Six, was disgusting. Strategy maps and computers were all over the floor, and Annabeth's bunk was literally filled to the ceiling with papers. Marking off a one out of five, I made a small singe mark on the front door with a quick burst of sparks.

I kept going around, occasionally spotting an amazing cabin. Most of them got threes or fours, but some stood out. The Aphrodite Cabin was looking perfect and pink as always, the Iris Cabin had jumping rainbows in addition to being squeaky clean, and Hades was full of bones, which earned it a giant goose egg. I really hated doing it too, since my girlfriend was a daughter of Hades.

Oh, how I longed to see my beautiful Taylor Drake again. She was finishing up sophomore year at her boarding school in Nevada, and I had to wait for two weeks after finishing my sophomore year at my school back in Miami.

"Alright, Annabeth. Here are the results," I said, handing in the report to Miss Control Freak herself. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like Annabeth, it's just that she's really controlling at times. She thinks that being Olympus's prime architect makes her queen of the demigods.

That of course brings us to Percy, who we rarely saw that summer anyway. These past two summers, he was just . . . I guess the right term would be "burnt out." So many things happened to him, and he sort of lost his fuel to keep going. Of course, Paranoia Princess thought he was cheating on her with our Oracle, Rachel, and that's why he wasn't talking to her. But I know things, because I find out things.

The day went by as normal, with swordfighting and lunch and canoeing and all that jazz. But after dinner, Chiron had a special announcement and called us all to the amphitheater.

"Campers, I have a most important announcement. Mr. D has made plans to leave Camp Half-Blood, given that his tenure as decreed by Lord Zeus had been shortened greatly. As a result, we have a new divine Camp Director. Please welcome Lady Theia!"

A sounding applause burst like a thunderstorm, and for good reason. Lady Theia looked stunning in a red dress and golden high heels. She looked like she had just won American Idol. However, I knew who she was, and I really didn't like her. Annabeth, Percy, and a couple of the other counselors were wondering the same thing.

"Is that who I think it is?" asked Leo Valdez.

"If you're thinking it's Theia the Titaness, I think so," I assured him.

"Is Chiron out of his mind?" Piper McLean chimed in.

"He needs to get off his high horse," Leo said, fake laughing afterwards. A brief silence followed, then, "Nothing? Come on, you guys."

"Thank you Leo," Katie Gardner frowned. "Anyway, if Lady Theia is really a Titaness, we have to act fast."

"Not so fast, you guys. Theia fought on the Olympians' side in the first Titan war, and she was neutral in the second," Annabeth offered.

"Isn't she like the Titaness of the moon or something?" I asked.

"Yeah, and her husband was Hyperion, which isn't good," Annabeth replied.

"At least it's not like he hired Koios or anything. We at least got someone cheery for once," I chuckled, and I got a few dirty looks from Dionysus kids around me.

"Whatever the case may be, we need to be on alert. Titanesses don't show up at demigod camps for no reason," Percy said, looking into the night sky. "Does the Big Dipper seem a bit crooked to you?"

It seemed like an odd observation at first, but he was actually right. The Big Dipper was bent down and was very narrow, almost like it was crawling down from the sky.

"Yeah," I said, "Pretty crooked to me."

I wondered what that was about for a long time, and honestly the only thing that took my mind off of it was Taylor coming to camp.


	2. Major and Minor

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

Chapter 2: Major and Minor

"Taylor!"

I ran toward my girlfriend, as I hadn't seen her since the summer before. She looked so beautiful that day, with her long blonde hair clashing vibrantly with her black leather jacket and jeans.

"Darius! It's been so long!" Taylor exclaimed, running toward me faster than I did.

She then did something I was surprised she had never done before. Our first kiss was the most passionate moment we'd had to date, and I wasn't going to let it fade away quickly. We stood there, our mouths interlocked, for what seemed like an hour before we finally pulled apart from each other.

 _Hey Darius! Where did this happen? When did this happen?_ I hear you asking. Well, it was a Friday morning, two weeks and four days after summer session started, and we were in the middle of the cabins. _Capisce?_

"Taylor, did you meet the new director yet?" I asked. She looked at me, stunned.

"A new director?" she asked, flustered, "Well, umm, I guess I haven't. What happened to Mr. D?"

"Left," I said, "My dad must've shortened his stay here. Nobody's really sad anyway, except for Pollux."

"Oh, everything's changed so much. My mom got remarried, Mr. D left, new counselors . . . I'm just so happy we haven't changed," Taylor said as she put her head on my shoulder, her eyes tearing up.

"Come on, there's nothing to cry about. The ground is still on the Earth, the sun and stars are still in the . . . oh wait," I said, trying to comfort my now sobbing girlfriend.

The image of the crooked Big Dipper resurfaced in my mind again. I wondered once more whether Lady Theia had anything to do with it. _Titans . . . stars . . . constellations . . ._

"Taylor, can you come with me really quick to Cabin Six?"

"Umm, sure, I guess. What's the fuss?" Taylor asked, but I ran ahead.

I ran from the fountain where we were to the silver Athena cabin and rapped on the door.

"Annabeth, it's Morgan," I heard Malcolm yell to the back of the cabin, and Annabeth approached the door.

"Annabeth, this is really important," I panted.

"Make it quick – I'm designing a theater for Olympus," Annabeth said grumpily.

"Great, when you build it, tell my dad I say hi. Anyway, what was the legend behind the Big Dipper again?" I asked, a bit annoyed now.

"Zeus wants a woman named Callisto, and Hera turns her and her son into a bear. To stop Hera's wrath, Zeus flings them into the sky. Can I go back inside now?"

"Yes, but keep your dagger on hand," I said warningly, and Annabeth groaned.

As I walked away from the cabin, Taylor asked me, "What was that about?"

"For the past few nights, the Big Dipper was looking kind of crooked," I said, "Almost as if it would fall out of the sky."

After dinner, we all got ready for Capture the Flag, my favorite game in all existence. I grabbed Parthenos and a bronze shield and grabbed my special watch, which had the power to store lightning energy and disperse it at will. I hoped that Taylor would be on my team, but I didn't have much time to think about that, because I reached the forest edge in only a few minutes. The campers were all arrayed in front of Chiron, and it seemed I was a bit late.

"So, as you all know, the creek is the boundary line, and no maiming or killing. Send up a signal if you need to be rescued. Well, enough chit-chat, let's start the game!"

Annabeth and Clarisse stood up and faced the crowd. I know that Ares and Athena are the war deities, but for once I wanted Zeus or Poseidon or someone else to be the captains.

"I'll take Hermes, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Poseidon, Hypnos, Nemesis, Tyche, and Zeus," Clarisse announced, and we approached her and the Ares cabin. I wasn't going to be on Taylor's team, but at least the red team got Piper, Percy, and the Stoll brothers.

"Then I guess I'll get Hephaestus, Demeter, Apollo, Hades, Iris, Nike, Hebe, and Hecate," Annabeth called out, and the blue team shuffled toward her.

The game begun when the teams returned with their armor, and I was soon approached by Clarisse.

"Morgan! Take Zeus and scout out the northeast woods. If the coast is clear, charge to Zeus's Fist and try to take the flag."

"Got it," I said, and I slammed my helmet onto my head.

My Zeus lapdogs, as I called them, followed behind me with their swords and daggers and whatnot in hand. I had my watch out and my sword in my right hand with my shield strapped to my back. We passed a few other campers, but they were on our side. The real fun started was when we approached the end of the creek in the northeast, since that was where we met Annabeth. Or at least, I met Annabeth, because I distracted her and ordered my troops ahead.

"You think your strategy is smart? I have twenty soldiers stationed just beyond that clearing," Annabeth grinned as we clashed blades.

"Good to know!" I beamed, and I called forth from the sky a burst of lightning that struck the clearing. The Zeus campers were trained to run around the lightning strike, since it was usually because something dangerous was lurking.

"Got your mind on something else?" I asked, ducking a dagger swing.

She shook her head, thrusting her blade forward, but I sidestepped and it clanged on my breastplate. I took a slash at her arm, which cut a little bit, and she decided to pull out her Yankees hat which made her invisible. I took another swing and ripped the hat right out her hand, leaving it useless lying on the ground.

"I bet something – or yet, someone – is on your mind. I wouldn't normally beat you, now would I?" I taunted. Evidently, it was not taken well, as she glared at me so intensely that I could feel her striking grey eyes piercing my chest.

We fought for about two more minutes when a loud thud was heard in the distance. A tree fell, and another, and another. I beckoned to Annabeth that we needed to check it out, but she kept on fighting me. I tried to back up toward the source of the destruction, but I could hear it coming near and I didn't want to be off-guard. I stepped in and hit her in the stomach with the butt of my sword and turned around to see a lumbering figure running through the forest.

"Annabeth, help me out here," I said nervously, but I still held my ground. The figure grew larger and larger until I saw a ten-foot-tall bear with an extra-long tail, followed by a smaller and younger bear that was only four feet tall. Annabeth rose to her feet and held her dagger aloft, but my hit knocked the wind out of her.

I looked up into the night sky to see a blank spot where the Dippers used to be. In front of me were Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

The bears stopped for a moment, took a sniff, and then ran right at me and Annabeth. I slashed and hacked, but the bears were too fast. I chased after them to distract them, and I then tried to use my watch to my advantage. I summoned a storm, which took all of ten seconds to form, and willed lightning to strike my hand. Instead of having my hand fried off, which can't actually happen to me, being a child of Zeus and all, the power surged into my watch and I turned my wrist to the bear. I hoped to the gods that the lightning would at least do something, and I let lose the energy. From my wrist spewed white-hot lightning straight at the bears. I managed to singe a hole straight through their bodies, and they keeled over and died faster than the resounding thunder could subside. All that remained was the yellowish dust characteristic of monsters.

"Annabeth," I said over my shoulder, "We need to fling this thing into the sky."

 _Who am I kidding?_ I thought, _Annabeth and I neither the arms nor the strength to fling this thing into the sky._ But then an idea popped into my head. I tried to swirl the wind into a vortex to pick up the bears, and they soared into the sky. A bright flash, and their stars reappeared above me in the night sky. Unfortunately, my windstorm threw Annabeth into midair, and I was so relieved when Percy came running through the forest just in time to catch her.

"Darius, I came as soon as I could, but it seems you already took care of the problem," Percy panted.

"This has something to do with Lady Theia, and whatever it is, I want out!" I said angrily. " _Di immortales!_ "

After the game, I said no words to anyone – I just entered the Big House and climbed up to the attic. I had been up there once before, but only to put a war trophy in our "museum." I passed Aphrodite's scarf, the Minotaur's horn, and a bunch of other random artifacts. But who I needed was the Oracle.

"Rachel," I called out, and I got an answer. I knew Rachel would be up here, because she always takes frequents jaunts up to the attic.

"Darius, is that you?" Rachel asked, coming out of the shadows. Her red frizzy hair was illuminated by the crepuscular light streaming through the single window, and it clashed dangerously with the darkness surrounding her.

"Rachel, I need to ask you, as the Oracle, something. What can I do to stop whatever might be coming? If it has something to do with constellations, what do I do?" I asked.

Rachel's eyes glazed over, and she spoke with an eerie triple voice I had only heard once before.

" _Every day the sky will fall,_

 _Held up by fire, death, and squall._

 _Familiar foes command the front,_

 _With hidden evils on the hunt._

 _Destroy them all or let them reign,_

 _A choice that will cause despair and pain._

 _In the end a friend will perish,_

 _Whose memory is not to cherish._ "

The attic never felt creepier. I stood there, taking in what she said for what seemed like an eternity. I thought to myself, _this is the next big war_.


	3. Dying of Cancer

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

Hi, I have a very sad announcement. I've decided that Ancient Gods will not be coming back, and I will be converting plot elements to Darius Morgan, including the whole Ouranos subplot. Darius will not be the one conversing with Ouranos, however, as that role will be given to another character you might not expect. The Protogenoi will mostly stay hidden, being of great importance when they do show up in the story, kind of like Tartarus and Nyx in _House of Hades_. It was a fun ride with Allison and Drew and the bunch, but I didn't like the story to begin with and I'm ret-conning it from the library of fanfictions.

In other news, some fun little background on Darius Morgan. The name Darius comes from a fake name I used in a fifth grade play based on life in Ancient Greece. I played a small boy named Darius, who talked very little and could often be found near the river outside the city, and that was because he was hiding some sort of magical secret or something – I can't remember. Morgan is actually my middle name, so I figured it would be a good last name. Actually, I use Darius Morgan as a roleplaying name on this one Minecraft server I play on – .net, check them out, they're pretty fun – and if you want you can find me and we'll chat. Just send me a shout!

Chapter 3: Dying of Cancer

I set off the next morning, alone. Yes, I know that's not very smart, but I wanted nothing to do with Lady Theia, so I packed up and took a cab to 5th Avenue. I knew I couldn't get into Olympus without a good reason, but it just helped to know that a mile above my head, my dad was there. It cleared my head a bit, and then I went to this little café in Queens to get some answers. I knew that the owners were older demigods, and they'd given me advice a couple of years back.

"Darius," the owner, whose name was Greg, exclaimed, "Want your usual?"

"No, I'm just here to sit." I lowered my voice, "I just got a prophecy."

"Well, where are the other two?" Greg asked.

"Nowhere. I just left. Camp's been, er, _infiltrated_."

Greg hung his head and buried his face in his hands. After a pause, he looked up at me.

"Darius, I understand, but it's not safe to go alone. In the back, there's a busted pipe – use it to IM your friends."

"I can't take anyone. Everyone's got to stay back and make sure nothing bad happens again," I said, and I briefly explained to him about the bears.

"Look, I can't help you, but I think I know who can. Every day at ten thirty, a very important customer comes in for a bite to eat. Stick around 'til then, and you might get some help, if he's willing."

I understood what Greg meant immediately, and I sat in the corner until the clock read 10:30. The door opened, and in came a man in a business suit chattering away on his Bluetooth. He moved with a speedy gracefulness, with a hint of hurriedness. I couldn't place who he was at first, but then I saw his shoes. He wore golden Nike sneakers with wing accessories attached to the back. I'd never met Hermes in person before, and I was hoping he'd give me some help.

"Excuse me, sir, but there's another patron who was hoping to see you," said Greg in a nonchalant tone, and he gestured with his hand to the corner in which I was sitting.

"A demigod? I have things to do, packages to mail, letters to deliver, so much to do, and you want me to deal with a demigod's trivial issues?" Hermes asked, miffed. He sighed, then said, "Yes, but I'll only give him five minutes."

He strode across the café to me, and I instantly sat up. Hermes's face was etched with lines that must have come with his three thousand years of age or so.

"Morgan, right? You got five minutes, so talk to me," Hermes said quickly.

"Well, Lord Hermes-"

"Mercury."

"Yes, of course. Lord Mercury, I was given a prophecy and I left without companions. I don't want to take any demigods away from camp, because we need to keep watch on Lady Theia, who is the new camp director."

Mercury bolted upright, his eyes bugging out of his face.

"Did you say that Theia is the new camp director? Martha, make a memo that I need to talk to Chiron. Anyway, I suggest you check out Central Park, 'cause on my way here, I could have sworn I sensed some demigods," Mercury said.

"But Lord Mercury, what if they're not trained?" I asked concernedly.

"My friend, any port in a storm. Speaking of which, have you spoken to your father recently?" Mercury asked interestedly.

"No. Why?"

"He just wanted to me to tell you that a certain harpy told him that you might want to go to Savanna, Georgia. Not sure why, but it's beautiful down there, with the historic buildings and the riverside shops."

"Thank you, Lord Mercury, for that information. I'm going to head there as soon as I check out these demigods," I said quickly, and Mercury nodded his head.

I took a cab to Central Park and found who I was looking for immediately. It wasn't like they were being subtle about their powers, but I don't think they knew what they were doing.

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, each about the age of fifteen, were doing "magic tricks" in front of a couple of spectators. The girl was performing water tricks, like making water appear from thin air, and the boy was performing sleight of hand by literally making things disappear. If these were my demigod helpers, they definitely did not meet the conditions of _fire_ and _death_ from the prophecy.

"Thank you for your generous donations," the boy called out, "We're done for the morning, but we'll be back after lunch."

The crowd dispersed, and soon the only people that were left were the boy, the girl, and me.

"What do you want?" the girl asked.

"For my stepmom to stop causing trouble with my family, but besides that, nothing much," I said jokingly, but the sky rumbled overhead, and I knew I must have hit a nerve with Hera.

"Seriously, man, give us some money or beat it," the boy said intensely.

"Actually, I kind of need your help. Allow me to introduce myself – the name's Darius," I introduced myself.

"You need our magic tricks?" the girl asked.

"I can do those 'magic tricks'" – I held up my fingers for quotation marks – "too." I snapped my fingers, and thunder resounded throughout the cloudless sky.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the boy said, clearly scared.

"Relax, I'm like you. I'm a demigod; half human, half god. By the looks of you, you guys are the son of a death god and the daughter of a sea god, respectively."

"Man, I'm Christian. I don't know what you're talking about," the boy said, inching himself away from me.

"Good for you, but you're also demigods. I'd love to get you back to camp, but right now I need to hitch a ride to Savanna. Afterwards, we'll get you away from all the monsters," I said.

"Monsters?" the girl asked.

"Yes, monsters, as in the bears that just attacked me and my friends last night, or . . . the giant crab sitting in the fountain."

How had I not noticed it before? The giant crab was eight feet tall with a mottled green shell and humongous pincers. It was not something I was going to be able to blast with lightning.

"How come no one else sees the giant crab?" the girl asked.

"The Mist. It's like a blanket that protects mortals from seeing the truth. Now, hide, I'll take care of the crab," I ordered them.

I drew Parthenos and carefully approached the fountain. The crab seemed to be eyeing me down, with a glare that said _If you hit me with that, I'll kill you_. The boy and girl watched in eagerness from a table under a tree to my left as I gingerly tried to get the crab to move. If I could get all the mortals away, I would be able to fight in peace – or at least, as peaceful as fighting gets.

The boy obviously understood my predicament, and yelled, "Hey, Sierra and I are doing a show right now across the street!"

Almost everyone turned their heads, and just to hook them in, the boy took a chair and made it disappear, only for it to reappear seconds later. The crowd moved away, and I finally got a chance to fight the stupid crab.

"Hey crab, I'm some fresh demigod meat. Don't you want to eat me?" I taunted.

The crab tilted its head in interest, clicked its pincers, and started to stir. I raised my sword in response, but the crab turned to face me. With the speed of a cheetah, it leaped off of the fountain and pounced at the spot where I was standing. I sidestepped it fast enough, but it grazed my arm with its left claw. I didn't know much about crabs, so I wasn't sure how to defeat it.

Then I remember the boy, and how he could make things disappear. I figured that wherever those things went, it definitely wasn't Central Park. That wasn't going to work, though, since he was off creating a diversion. Maybe I could sling it into the air like with the bears, though I figured that wouldn't work since it wasn't part of this guy's myth.

 _Wasn't this thing part of the Heracles story?_ I asked myself, and I remembered the story. Heracles, while trying to defeat the Hydra, had to stomp on a demon crab sent by Hera to stop him. Unfortunately, I didn't have a very large foot. I was running out of options.

I remembered my oceanography course I was required to take, and the unit about crustaceans. I had a stupid teacher named Mr. Ruiz who put me in detention for saying that seals looked sort of stupid. But anyway, I was pretty sure he said that, "Crabs have a weak spot in their armor on their bottoms, sort of like an Achilles heel." I was going to take the chance, and I knelt down, ready to lie down on my stomach. The crab lunged at me and jumped right on top of me, and I stabbed up, hoping that I didn't die. _No_ , I told myself, _you are Darius Morgan. You survived the Titan War, the Giant War, and so many other monsters. You are not going to die at the hands of a crab_.

When I looked up, I was covered in yellow dust. I had done it! I defeated the crab! Unfortunately, now I looked like I just killed a couple of giant canaries, or people with a lot of dandruff. Across the street, the two demigods noticed that the crab was all but a leftover shell, and quickly packed up the show. Once they finished up, I walked over to them.

"I never got your names," I said coolly, which was true. I only heard that the girl's name was Sierra.

"Oh yeah," the boy said, "I'm Adrian Kaufman, and this is Sierra Beauregard."

"Beauregard," I repeated, "You don't happen to have a dead cousin named Silena or something?"

"Not that I know of," Sierra said firmly.

"Well then, how would you two like to come to Georgia?" I said invitingly.

"How are we getting there?" Adrian asked.

"By way of Darius Airlines!"


	4. The Chained-Up Lady

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

For all of you that were offended by last chapter's title, go back to Tumblr. Oh, also, sorry for spelling Savannah wrong.

Chapter 4: The Chained-Up Lady

Ahh, Darius Airlines, your one-way ticket to anywhere in the United States, as long as you don't get uncomfortable while speeding through the air at speeds of anywhere from 100 miles per hour to Mach 3, depending on the winds.

I love flying – it just gives me the greatest sensation when I'm controlling the winds, like I'm lighter than air. Adrian and Sierra, not so much. Their look of terror gave me the impression I was thrusting this whole demigod thing on them a bit too fast. I mean, I literally just pulled them out of a park, said _do you want to come fight monsters with me_ , and showed them I wasn't kidding by killing a giant crab. It's not like they got a proper introduction like me.

I remember my first time at camp like it was yesterday. Chiron was patting me on the back to ease me into it – I had just killed the Chimera at school that day with a scrap of celestial bronze some girl threw to me. My dad didn't claim me until after the Titan War, but I still got to live at camp and experience it before I left to go fight in the Giant War.

Savannah approached quickly, and I prepared for landing. We landed in a field not far from River Street, and I was eager to eat some pralines, but then I remembered I was on a quest.

"Darius, was there a reason we couldn't fly on a plane or something?" Sierra asked angrily.

"Yes. Airfare costs money, and all I have is a couple five dollar bills and three drachmas," I said.

"So where are we going exactly?" Adrian asked.

"No clue, but I suggest we try River Street. Gods and monsters usually like to hang out in crowded areas," I said, and I pointed my finger in the direction of the bustling tourist destination.

We walked for about ten minutes before reaching the marina. Everything seemed to be normal, except for the lady in a Greek chiton chained to a rock.

Adrian and Sierra exchanged nervous looks, and Adrian asked me, "God or monster?"

"Neither," I said confidently.

I knew that woman to be Andromeda, the unfortunate daughter of a queen who boasted that she was prettier than Amphitrite, Poseidon's wife. For punishment, Poseidon cursed her kingdom to be plagued by a giant sea monster unless she fed her only daughter to it. Instead of being eaten, though, Perseus swooped in to save the day and rescue Andromeda.

I walked up to Andromeda, who seemed to struggling for a couple of seconds before just giving up every twenty seconds.

"Umm, Miss Andromeda?" I addressed her cautiously.

"Good, good, a demigod. Please, help me out of these chains," Andromeda said quickly, "Keto is coming."

"Why is Keto coming?" Sierra asked, "And who is Keto?"

I understood, however. Keto was a goddess of sea monsters, and Percy told me she trapped him and Frank Zhang, the praetor at Camp Jupiter, in a tank at the Georgia Aquarium. Georgia must've been her territory.

Andromeda beckoned to her chains, and I tried to break them with my sword, but the blade clanged off the metal.

" _He_ did have the knife of Athena," Andromeda said sadly.

I knew someone who had a knife of Athena, but Annabeth was too far away and too unwilling to help me. But wait, didn't Athena give Parthenos to me? Why did my sword fail to break the chains?

"Will Perseus come?" I asked, "I mean, history usually repeats itself."

"Maybe. I'm not sure. He wasn't one of the souls that wanted to leave the Underworld," Andromeda said, gazing longingly into the distance. "She promised me revenge, but I ended up chained to this stupid rock again."

"Okay, will someone please tell _us_ what's going on?" Adrian exclaimed.

"I forgot, you guys are newbies to this stuff. This is Andromeda. Long story short, if we don't save her now, a giant sea monster will eat Savannah," I said hurriedly.

"Adrian, can you make those chains disappear?" Sierra asked in a eureka moment, as if a light bulb had lit above her head.

"I can try, but it's kind of hard," Adrian said uneasily. He grasped his hands around the metal links and closed his eyes. The chains vanished.

"Well done, demigod, well done!" Andromeda cheered, "Now, let's get out of here before Keto . . . oh no."

I turned a second too late. You know those whale sharks? Picture one of those, but five times the size and with two-foot-tall razor-sharp teeth, all poised at the part of the pier you're standing on.

I tried summoning lightning, but it bounced off of Keto's leathery skin. Why did everything I try to zap with lightning have to be immune? Sierra stood back, since she figured water was not going to make this thing die. Meanwhile, a storm brewed and was approaching the city, and I could spot tiny little wind spirits waiting to wreak havoc on unsuspecting tourists.

Adrian tried to make Keto disappear, but I could tell even he knew it wouldn't work. Keto took a bite out of the pier, taking down a couple of deck chairs and an umbrella table, but luckily no mortals. She kept approaching, and a water spout touched down just off the coast. Then, in a flash of red, she was gone. The storm had faded, and nothing was left but a blanket of monster dust floating toward the water. Standing behind me was a very buff man with chiseled features and muscles the size of a large dog. In his hand he held a giant hammer, which I knew to be the mark of Vulcan.

"Lord Vulcan, thank you for saving us," I said, just to make sure he didn't blast me with fire next.

"It was nothing. Besides, at least she looked cool. Ol' Neptune's got to deal with the really ugly ones," Vulcan said gruffly.

"Who is this guy?" Adrian mouthed to me.

"Vulcan, god of fire and smiths," I whispered back.

"New demigods?" Vulcan asked, and I nodded. "Well, I think they're going to need some weapons, now aren't they? Come with me."

Adrian, Sierra, and I followed Vulcan to a shop on River Street with a hammer hanging over the door. The sign next to the door read, "Vulcan Replica Weapons – Erupting with History"

The inside of the shop was very cluttered, but also very brilliant, with amazing weapons strewn in odd placements on hooks and hangers, and awesome-looking blueprints littering the floor.

"Take anything you like, but only one thing. Look at this one here – fully working Civil War era rifle, and it shoots celestial bronze too. Or what about this mace, it's laced with iron for a double threat," Vulcan said excitedly, admiring his own work.

"What about this knife?" Adrian asked, holding up a silver _gladius_.

"Oh, that one? It's not really that special, just a simple _gladius_. I mean, it is made of Thalassic Silver, but so are a lot of other weapons. But that one," Vulcan said, pointing to the _labrys_ Sierra was looking at, "That one's special. The guy who sold it to me said that he dipped it in the River Styx, and that it's made of Stygian Iron. Based on my research, it should be able to kill things that are already dead."

"Trade you," said Adrian quickly.

"Not in a million years, man," Sierra brushed off his comment.

"Well, if those are the weapons you want, take them. Just remember, every smith's work tells a story, so even the normal-est of daggers could have a dark history. So long, demigods," Vulcan said warningly.

And with that, then we exited the shop.

"Where to next?" Sierra asked.

"Somewhere that doesn't require Darius Airlines," Adrian groaned.

"I need to IM camp, then we'll go," I said, pulling out a golden drachma. I strode over to the nearest water fountain and threw my drachma in. "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please take my message!"

"Who are you contacting?" a cool voice asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," I said.

The water turned to mist, and I saw a familiar view, the view from just outside the bathrooms. I could see the odd-numbered cabins, including my own, in the distance. Then, Taylor came into view.

"Darius!" she screamed, "Where the hell did you go? We've been looking all over for you! We thought you died!"

"Relax, I got a prophecy and I'm on a quest," I said casually, like this was a normal thing for demigods, which it sort of was.

"Don't you need some help?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, actually, where would you expect any _hidden evils_ to be?" I asked.

"Well, I know that when I'm shadow travelling, I go through the Underworld really quickly, so maybe there are dangers lurking in there that want to get out. But that could be anywhere in the country," Taylor pondered.

"But what about DOA Studios, or Orpheus's Tunnel?" I asked, "Can't I get into the Underworld that way?"

"I don't think you want to be going to the Underworld now anyway. My dad can't keep the _keres_ in check, and they're revolting," Taylor explained. "Just follow your instinct, it usually keeps us demigods alive. Go where you think you need to be."

"I think I need to be with you guys," I said, "Just keep an eye on Lady Theia."

The Iris-message faded as I took my hand off the water fountain.

"Alright, get ready," I said strongly, "Because we're going to Miami!"

"Not Darius Airlines again," Adrian complained.

"No, I have a better idea," I said, probably grinning evilly.


	5. Friends and Fortune

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

Okay, so I apparently have access to for these next couple of weeks, so disregard my update on my profile.

Chapter 5: Friends and Fortune

I whistled very loudly, much to the anger of the tourists who were recovering from the incident with Keto. I bet they thought it was either a shark attack or a very deranged whale.

"Darius, what are you doing?" Adrian asked.

"You'll see."

Three pegasi galloped down from the clouds; one gleaming white, one brown with a white nose, and one tan with black markings. The white one was mine, Jove, whom I named for my father – or at least, my father's Roman aspect.

"Woah," said Sierra in amazement.

"Hop up onto one you like," I said, straddling Jove.

Sierra took the tan one, whose name was Flutters (a camper named her when she was six), and Adrian took the brown one, who was named Shark. We took off into the sky, leaving Savannah behind, but it was only about four hours before we reached Miami, since the pegasi were exceptionally fast. Unfortunately – or so I thought – for us, we were shot at as soon as we got to the city.

Arrows whizzed by, and fire was being lobbed at us. I drew my sword and tried to deflect the attacks, but I ultimately decided we had to land and face our foes on land. We settled on a sidewalk just outside Dolphin Stadium, mere yards away from our attackers. Then, I saw who they were.

"Adrian, Sierra, don't shoot!"

In front of me stood three faces I deeply wanted to see – Leo, Percy, and Taylor.

"What was that for?" I yelled at them.

"Sorry, man, but we needed to flag you down," Percy said apologetically.

"Yeah, and we figured we had some clues for you guys. Taylor told us about your IM, and we snuck out of camp," Leo explained, "Oh, and we also got another prophecy. Something about like _The answer to problems is found with discord, which shall raise a conflict greater than any dark lord_."

" _Two armies divided fighting for the same side, all must be postponed to sway the tide,_ " finished Taylor.

"Wow, that's way more straightforward than most other prophecies," I said, remembering the incredibly vague Great Prophecies.

"Well, anyway," started Percy, "Leo figured we should help you out, since we got some very bad news. Zeus closed off Olympus again, and Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite refuse to even contact anyone, at least according to Chiron."

"That's really odd," I said stupidly.

Sierra and Adrian approached me from behind.

"Who are these people?" Adrian asked.

"These are my friends from camp. Er, Leo, Percy and Taylor, meet Sierra and Adrian. Sierra and Adrian, meet Leo, Percy and Taylor."

"Ok, what about these Hera and Afro people? Who is Chiron?" Sierra asked intensely.

"New demigods?" Leo asked, and I nodded. "Here, why don't we go inside the stadium?"

"Sounds good to me," I said.

We walked to the entrance and passed some security guards, looking extremely weary. They nodded as Leo showed his driver's license for photo ID – Leo Valdez behind the wheel of a car; now that's a scary thought.

The football stadium was illuminated by the Miami sunlight I used to bask under every day, and I realized how much I missed my family.

 _Darius,_ I reminded myself, _your family is gone. This is your new family_.

I didn't know where that thought came from, because I didn't often think about my family. My mother turned out to be a murderous psychopath, and I found out when she killed my little sister in her sleep. My stepdad ran away, and she was sent to prison for life, so I was left alone. I traveled up the east coast alone, with no one but strangers to help guide me. I eventually found Goode High School, and they had to accept me because of my brilliance (well, no shame there, I suppose). I never saw my mom or dad again, and the only people that ever comforted me were my friends at camp.

It was at that point that I lost my train of thought, because my flashback was interrupted by a very loud argument on the other side of the field in the nosebleed seats.

" _Vlacas!_ " screamed a woman, "There is no luck in winning!"

"Then explain to me the Battle at the Hot Gates!" another woman shouted.

"That was two thousand years ago, and they lost! Get over it," the first woman argued.

"This war will be won on luck alone, because neither side has any skill," the second woman scoffed.

"Except for the demigods watching us," the first woman said balefully, and she disappeared.

I walked cautiously toward the other side of the stadium, and the other five followed behind me. I expected the woman to tear us to shreds, but instead she just let us come towards her.

"Come, children. It's your lucky day," she said happily.

We kept on walking, this time at a faster pace, but still not so much as full speed. She beckoned her hands for us to come faster. As I came closer, I saw that the woman was wearing Roman battle armor, but in her hand was a golden ball.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to that. That woman, well, she's my nemesis, quite literally."

"Ma'am, that was the goddess Nemesis, was it not?" Percy asked. Leo shuddered at the sound of her name.

"You're quite right, Percy Jackson. I, of course, am Fortuna," Fortuna said. "I do prefer this aspect of myself much better – much more disciplined. I, as Tyche, am always handing out luck like candy and it takes the pleasure out of luckiness. Do you see what I mean?"

We nodded, but only because we didn't want to die. You _never_ said no to a god.

"Now, heroes, I understand you are on a quest, but it could possibly be in vain. You could die at any point along the way, or a god could blast you to smithereens if they wanted to. But I am feeling nice today, and I've decided to give you a 50-50 chance at passage. Choose one path, you get transported to the place you want to go next, and you will find your clues along the straight and narrow path. Choose another, and you die. This is where there is a blurred line between luck and skill, you see. If you choose the correct path, it could not possibly be luck, because I won't help you at all, and it could not possibly be skill, because it is a 50-50 chance. So, what is this blurred line? Is it an area of strategy, or of cockiness? Tell me, Darius Morgan, if you were faced with frustratingly equal odds, what would you do?"

I couldn't answer. I had no idea how. I'd faced impossible odds before, but I had never faced these kinds of odds. At least in a one-in-one-hundred chance, you had something driving you forward. In a 50-50 choice, nothing was certain, and you only had shot at the right choice.

"Darius Morgan, this was not a question I want you to answer now, but one you must answer later. As for now, my offer still stands. You have a 50 percent chance of choosing right, but also a 50 percent chance of choosing wrong. Luck is a tricky force, but equality is even trickier. Choose now."

On either side of the stadium, a vomitorium glowed, each a different color. On the left side, the door was red, and on the right, the door was blue.

"Darius, you're the boss," Percy said, "Which do we choose."

"Red," I said immediately.

"But red is bad," Taylor said in reply.

"Speak for yourself, Death Babe. Red's the color of fire!" Leo exclaimed.

"We choose red," I repeated.

Fortuna did not respond. She simply smiled, and I no idea whether I chosen right. If I had, then I was the luckiest son of a gun in the world. If not, well, I didn't want to think about it.

I walked through the red vomitorium, and heat washed over me, burning my insides and blinding me. But I kept moving, and I finally saw the world again. I thought we had chosen wrong, because my first view was of a cavern ceiling, which I initially presumed to be the Underworld. When I stepped out into the open, I saw a sign next to me.

 **WELCOME TO GLENWOOD CAVERNS, CO**


	6. Fire in the Hole

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

Sorry I was gone for so long. I was taking two college courses for these past three weeks out in Reno, Nevada. I will continue posting stories now that I am back.

Chapter 6: Fire in the Hole

Colorado? Why Colorado? It seemed kind of stupid that we ended up underground, in the middle of the country, with absolutely no idea where to go.

"Guys, we need to get out of this cave and see what's going on above ground," I said, and the others nodded.

We trudged along a pathway that sloped upward when we heard a voice echoing in the distance, probably from a tour guide. We ran ahead and found a tour group of about thirty people, mostly old people and families with small children, and tried to blend in with the crowd.

"Slacking behind, were we?" asked the tour guide. "As I was saying, these stalagmites have been here for thousands of years . . ."

"Where do you think we're going?" asked Adrian quietly.

"I've been here once, but I went on the other tour," Taylor said. "The tour definitely ends at the beginning, though."

We walked through caverns full of dazzling stalactites and stalagmites, with brilliant colors and pools of water illuminating our way. Eventually, we came to room with hot springs and amazing gemstones.

"This is the Register Room. The colors of these gems are caused by years and years of interaction with the hot springs," the tour guide said, and the tour group gasped.

Unfortunately, it was for the wrong reason. One of the hot springs exploded into a geyser, releasing steam into the damp air of the tunnel. A jet of fire shot straight into the ceiling of the cave.

"This has never happened before!" the tour guide shouted. "Do not panic! Follow me out of the ca-" but he was trampled by the horde.

I drew Parthenos, and the rest of us drew their weapons. Another geyser, and another jet of flame. A third geyser, and on the third column of fire, a golden bird shot out of the pool. It turned into a white-hot fireball and flew straight at us. We had no time to react. The bird almost hit me when –

Percy stood there with Riptide in his right hand and his left hand aloft, controlling the water in the hot springs. Unfortunately, the hot spring water did not faze the bird. It rose again and hovered above us, then took a nosedive. I slashed with Parthenos, and I hit the bird's wing, but it was so hot my blade started to melt. Sierra tried to shoot water at it to cool it off, but the bird caught her off guard and flew straight into her. The impact burnt a hole straight through her shirt, and it knocked her out.

"What even is this thing?" Adrian yelled.

"It's a phoenix! If we kill it, it will instantly be reborn!" Percy shouted, parrying the bird's beak.

You know, you'd think that six demigods would be able to take on one lousy phoenix, but it kept playing tricks on us. I decided to fight the only way I knew I would win – lightning. I tried to keep the bolts controlled, but my strategy eventually backfired. The cavern was caving in on us, since my lightning bolts had vaporized a couple of key rocks holding the structure in place. I looked to my left, and I saw Sierra stirring. I hoped her water powers would be enough to defeat the phoenix, but she looked too weak to fight, so I kept on. A couple of slashes here and there, but eventually I was the only demigod the bird hadn't tossed aside. I saw Sierra stand up in my peripheral vision, and I was thrown against the wall. That had done it – the cavern collapsed. We were dead.

I opened my eyes to see that I was most certainly not in the Underworld, and that I was also completely submerged in water. For some reason, I could breathe, and I knew it couldn't have the work of Percy, since he was knocked out. I heard the cry of an anguished animal, and I knew someone had won the battle. I fell on the ground and I saw who won it for us. It was Sierra.

Percy coughed, then said, "I gotta tell Jason about this!"

I didn't realize what he meant at first, but then I saw it. Sierra was still engulfed in her water storm, and circling around her were the letters Κ-υ-μ-o-π-o-λ-ε-ι-α – Kymopoleia.

"Hail Sierra Beauregard," I said in the traditional way Chiron spoke when someone was claimed, "Daughter of Kympoleia, goddess of violent storms, stirrer of waves."

Sierra walked to the defeated phoenix, as it was not quite dead. She did not seem to notice that the rest of us, even Adrian, were looking at her in awe. Sierra pulled out a golden tail feather, studied it for a moment, then gave it to me.

"If luck be in your favor, try your hand at a game or two. Your destination is near the source of drought and drink," I read aloud.

"What does that even mean?" Leo asked angrily.

" _Near the source of drought and drink_ ," I mused, "That's it! Lake Tahoe! California and Nevada get all their drinking water from it, but it's drying up, causing the drought in California!"

Percy nodded, and Taylor mouthed _Reno?_ Leo gave a thumbs-up, and I nodded back. Poor Sierra and Adrian, left in the dark while the superior demigods did all the planning.

"How are we getting there?" asked Taylor.

"You."

Shadow travel is weird. And fast. But mostly weird. If you aren't prepared, like our poor newbie friends, you will throw up.

Taylor took us by the hands, and we all ran at a wall. Darkness surrounded us, and the chilling screams of ghosts creaked in my ears. I opened my eyes to see a familiar landscape. In the distance were the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and closer to us was Downtown Reno, full of casinos galore. I'd been to Reno once before when I was thirteen, but I hadn't gone into Downtown, since I was up at the university campus in the north. As the six of us walked through the city, we got caught up in a camp group of teenagers, some of which were wearing green shirts with the yellow camp logo emblazoned on the left side. I could hear a group towards the back singing some Biggie Smalls song, and a group towards the front giggling and pointing at a relatively fat Hispanic kid. _These do not look like a fun group_ , I thought to myself.

"How long do you think we can stay with these guys until their staff catch us?" Leo asked, as if this was a game of hide-and-seek.

"I say we try as long as we can," I said, and we integrated into their group.

The group singing Biggie Smalls immediately noticed us, and a small boy who looked no older than thirteen was about to yell something vulgar at us, until a taller blonde boy stopped him.

"Now, now, let's be nice," the blonde boy said.

"Screw you, man," the small kid spat, wrenching the other boy's hand off his mouth.

"Why are you in our group anyway?" asked the blonde boy.

"None of your business," Leo said, pushing in front of me, but I pulled him back.

"You trying to get somewhere?"

"I'm not exactly sure," I said.

"Here, why not stop for a bite to eat – we're heading to dinner – and then get on your way. Best not let the PAs see you, or they'll arrest you for sure."

"It's actually not the first time that it'll have happened to me."

We walked with the group, occasionally crossing the street to seem apart from the group, and soon enough we were at a UNR dorm building called Argenta Hall. While the camp group went upstairs, we went inside and paid for the buffet. We were at the dessert station when Taylor gasped at her cup of ice cream. Taylor didn't gasp ever.

Her chocolate ice cream was churning, and a face formed. It wasn't a kind face, like Fortuna's, and it wasn't an angry face, like maybe Nemesis, and it definitely wasn't sleeping like Gaea.

 _Discord is inevitable_ , the face spoke into my mind, _find me on the ruins of your first enemy. One of you will die, the rest of you shall not. In the end a friend will perish whose memory is not to cherish._

Taylor was no longer holding a cup of ice cream. It was now an apple. A simple yellow apple. Taylor tried to take a bite out of it, but it would not break under the pressure of her teeth.

Suddenly, an alarm went off. Sirens blared outside the building, and police were entering the buffet. One of the camp staff from before was standing at the entrance to the buffet, along with the small kid and the blonde boy.

"Guys, it is them?" the staff member asked.

They nodded, and the police turned towards them. We bolted for the exit, but the police tried to stop us. They tased everyone except me, since I'm immune to electricity. I tried to pick up my friends' limp bodies, but I buckled under their collective weight. I tried dragging Sierra and Adrian with my hands, with Taylor, Leo, and Percy on my back, but I crumpled. I silently prayed to my dad to help me out, and with a burst of internal energy, I called forth winds to push my friends away from the cops, and I leapt out of the building with them in tow.

"We thank you for flying Darius Airlines."


	7. The Reason Why

Darius Morgan and the Constellations

Hey guys, it's Boltstriker. This is the final chapter. I know the story's been a bit short, but there will be sequels coming extremely soon. The ending of this story may surprise you, but it works for the purpose of the overall plotline.

Chapter 7: The Reason Why

I thought about the face in the ice cream. She had said something about the ruins of our first enemy. As far as I knew, the first enemy was the Titans, which meant she was at Mount Tamalpais in the Bay Area. Why did everything end in the Bay Area? Why does someone have to die? Why do the gods hate me so much?

I flew for hours before I ducked down below the clouds to see where I was, and I found that I was already hovering over Oakland. I could swear I saw Camp Jupiter under me, but I was too busy flying to care. I had my five friends hanging from my legs, and they were now waking up, so I wanted to get as low down as possibly before they realized how they had actually gotten to where we were. I landed just next to the Golden Gate Bridge and waited for everyone else to wake up.

"Wha—wuzzhappenin?" Leo asked groggily.

"Relax, we're in San Francisco. We need to get to Mount Tam," I said calmly.

Percy threw up. " _Mount Tam?_ " he yelled. "We are not going to Mount Tam. May I remind you that Mount Othrys was on that mountain?"

"The ruins of our first enemy. That's where the ice cream lady wants us to go. It's the only way," I explained hastily.

Once the other three woke up, I explained the plan, and we called a cab. Percy got into the front seat, and Leo, Sierra and Adrian climbed into the back, leaving Taylor and me the middle row.

"If this goes horribly wrong, remember this," Taylor said. She pulled me in and kissed me passionately, and I wrapped my arms around her. We stayed in this loving embrace for at least ten minutes, but something felt odd. I didn't feel something – something that should be there. It was definitely genuine, and definitely loving, but a different kind of love. More of a camaraderie sort of love, than love-love. It was really painful to realize this, especially when we were willingly advancing towards a situation in which one of us six would definitely die. I hoped it wasn't Taylor. But this time, not because I loved her, but because I cared about her more than anything in the world. It was my fatal flaw – Loyalty. It wasn't a special fatal flaw. Lots of heroes had it. Mine, though, was the reason I lost everything, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

We got out of the cab a block from Mount Tam, and Percy had enough mortal money to pay the fare. We trekked up the mountain with a little help from some short gusts of wind I managed to produce, but the Olympians' power was weakened there. At the peak of the mountain, I saw terrible things. To my left, the Titan Atlas was holding up the sky, strained and weak from its weight. I almost felt pity for him. In front of us were the crumbled obsidian pillars and rooves that once made a magnificent, albeit evil, palace. Standing at the center of the ruins were two women, and one I recognized. It was Lady Theia.

"Lady Theia! You caused this!" I screamed, blood rushing into my head like water pounding against a dam.

"Foolish demigods. Your weak sight prevents you from seeing the past and the future. Your puny little heads can only see what is in front of you right now."

The voice wasn't Lady Theia's. It was different, and it was angering to the point that I wanted to rip the nearest person's throat out.

"Allow me to introduce my accomplice, Eris," Lady Theia said without emotion.

"I caused it the first time, and they destroyed themselves. They will cause this time, and all of us will destroy each other," said Eris.

"You're the goddess of discord," said Percy, "You exist to drive people apart."

"Goddess of discord?" Eris laughed a high-pitched cackle. "I AM DISCORD!"

"You're trying to start a war! What are you doing to pollute the Romans? Are you messing with the Egyptians? What about the Norse in Massachusetts?" I screamed, my anger rising beyond my sanity.

"Foolish son of Zeus," said Lady Theia. "Eris knows when war is coming, and war is coming. Tell me, demigod, what was the most major event that happened after the Gigantomachy?"

I stood there, motionless. I said not a word.

Eris began to speak, "Long ago, I gave three goddesses a golden prize. Naturally, they argued about it so much that a mortal had to choose who got it. Because Aphrodite offered this mortal the most beautiful woman in the world, a war ensued, with Athena and Hera fighting with the Greeks, and Aphrodite and others fighting on behalf of Troy. Your ancestors wiped out the ancestors of your friends in that valley. I do not merely sense the discord in the air, I am the discord in the air. I appear when conflict starts, and disappear when it ends."

"Darius Morgan, you have led your force of five other demigods so far on this quest. You have defeated every obstacle I have thrown in your way to prevent you from starting this war. Now we are at the place of my strength, though it may be crumbled and ruined. I bring forth from the heavens your final challenger, the immortal Draco!"

The sky began to shake, and Atlas doubled over in pain. A giant green dragon bigger than Atlas emerged from the point where the sky and earth almost met. I heard a voice in my ear – _May luck be in your favor_.

I drew my sword, as did the others, and we formed up. I had no idea what this thing was, except that it was a scary dragon that could probably eat me in one gulp.

"Anyone got an idea what this guy is?"

"Not a clue," said Leo.

"No idea, man," Percy divulged.

"Nope," said Taylor.

We defended ourselves for a while, but there was no defeating Draco. Lady Theia and Eris had left, leaving the mountain only with us, the dragon, and Atlas. But, an idea popped into my head.

What if Draco was a Giant? Wasn't there some sort of dragon that a Giant threw at Athena? If I could just break through its skin, my dad could help me out . . .

I tried praying to my dad, and his answer came. I charged with my sword in front of me, and a bolt of lightning arced through my body. However, my sword clanged against Draco's scaly legs and sent me flying backwards. I waited a few minutes before trying again, and again Zeus's answer came. I tried the arm, but it was obviously doing nothing. Once again I tried, and tried, and each time Zeus was willing to help me, but Draco's armor was too strong.

I hit a realization. In order to defeat Draco, one of us had to die. It had to be me. I walked toward Draco, and allowed myself to be plucked up in his mouth. He did not even chew, he simply swallowed. His insides burned, and his stomach was literally a pit of flames. I called forth Zeus's blessing with my last dying breath, and a final strike of electricity went through my body. I was crushed under the pressure of Draco's explosion.

I don't know what happened after that. I remember vaguely getting on a boat, but I fell. Everything after that is a distant memory. Darius Morgan had been forgotten, but it had been for a good cause. In order for my friends to live another day, I had to die. Eris and Theia were still undefeated, but maybe they weren't the enemy. Maybe they were a cruel way of forewarning us stupid demigods not to ruin the world. We were going to ruin the world. Or rather, they were going to ruin the world. At this point, I had no hope. I knew I was dead. I knew I would never enter the Underworld, but I would never return to the land of the living. So, on the whole, was I really dead? Was I really alive? Not a single entity, mortal, demigod, god, or otherwise, would know the answer to that. I thought about the prophecy. I thought about the last line. I was the friend who would perish, and my memory would not be cherished. My soul was laid to rest on that terrible, terrible thought.


End file.
